Busy lizzy shortage due to disease

Britain’s gardens and hanging baskets may look rather less colourful this year due to a shortage of busy lizzies that mean garden centres, including B&Q and Homebase, will no longer be selling the perennial favourite.

The bedding plants, that come in an array of colours but mainly purples and pinks, have almost been wiped out by a virulent new disease.

In order to stop the fungicide-resistant infection spreading further the main garden centres, including B&Q and Homebase, are not stocking the busy lizzies this year.

It is hoped this will give time to botanists to find a cure to Impatiens Downy Mildew so that busy lizzies once again adorn our borders and baskets once again.

In the meantime gardeners are going to have to find alternatives.

Alan Titchmarsh, the BBC presenter of programmes including Gardener’s World, recommended geraniums, begonias, petunias or marigolds.

“Busy Lizzies are a favourite of many gardeners and hopefully by taking this step the industry can take time to understand and control the problem. In the meantime there are some great alternatives available that will add a splash of colour and grow well in partial shade, such as Begonias, now available in a wider range of leaf and flower colour than ever before. In time I’m sure we will grow to love them just as much.”

B&Q and Homebase usually sell about 35 million busy Lizzies a year, making it the UK's bestselling bedding plant.

But since 2003 the plants have been hit by a disease that makes the leaves go yellow and fall off.

It is thought the infection was imported from cuttings and has now become resistant to strongest fungicides.

It first appears as a white felt-like powder on the underside of leaves and spreads on airborne spores.

The Royal Horticultural Society is advising gardeners who will continue to plant busy Lizzies this

summer to destroy any plants displaying symptoms immediately.

Experts suggest they should also avoid replanting busy lizzies in the same ground for at least a year.

A spokesman said: "We have printed information in our catalogues on how to look after your busy Lizzies to help avoid downy mildew and we are also offering alternatives to them.

"We just felt that it is better to give the consumer all the information so that they can make their own choice as to whether they still buy them or not."